We survived our 50 books in one year challenge. In 2009 we are still reading...

Thursday, November 14, 2013

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (#25, Fiction)

The subtly of this book is what makes it great.  It contains such difficult topics: statutory rape, the holocaust, life in prison and death, yet it was a simple and quick read.  It sounds wrong to say that about such a deep book, but it read so easily.

I had no idea about the plot of the novel other than what is says on the back.  I had no idea I was picking up another book about the holocaust.

Somehow in this book you don't get the ick feeling with the relationship between the 15 year old and 36 year old.... maybe because it's a young boy rather than young girl?  But as the novel concludes and you've seen how his life has been extremely affected and molded by his love affair with an older woman you reassess your feelings about what you didn't judge as harshly at the beginning.

4 out of 5.

The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles (#24, Fiction)

I think I am still processing this book.  It was a book club pick, and unfortunately I was extremely delinquent in getting around to reading it and therefore had to fly through it in the few hours before book club. 

The "choose your own adventure" sort of plot was interesting and new to me.  Not that we actually got to choose, but a few times in the novel he goes down one road, and then backtracks and says, nope, nevermind that actually didn't happen that way, but it could have, but this is what actually happened. 

I'm still struggling to understand the motivations of the characters.  Specifically, the "woman."  This book would have been ideal to read in a discussion class because there is just too much to absorb when reading for pleasure.

3.5 out of 5.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (#23, Fiction)

I'm a big fan of book club, so a group of women getting together to chat, knit and drink wine sounds pretty fun to me as well.  Actually, the knitting part really doesn't interest me at all as I have very limited capacity for time consuming, detail oriented, artsy type do it yourself projects.  But, as you can imagine, the book really isn't about knitting, but rather the relationships the women form during their weekly "meetings." 

It was a good attempt at a coming of age, character/relationship development book.  The ending seemed like it was going to end extremely tidy and then it just takes a nose dive.  I did not see it coming.

3 out of 5.